Scalars, Vectors and Components

of Vectors
Module 2
Objectives:
At the end of the session, the students are expected to:

• differentiate vector from scalar quantities

(STEM_GP12V-Ia-8)

• Rewrite a vector in component form;

• cite real-life application of vectors;

• calculate directions and magnitudes of vectors

How
important are
directions in
our everyday
life?
 • Temperature
• Velocity
• Time
• Speed
Identify which of • Displacement
• Length
these quantities
• Speed
require direction. • Distance
• Acceleration
• Force
• Torque
• Energy
 “I commit
crime with
both
DIRECTION
and
MAGNITUDE.”
 Time
2:00 PM

Scalar quantities Temperature

37°C

physical quantities that

have magnitude only Length
158 cm

Mass
73 kg
 Velocity
32 mph in westerly
direction
Vector quantities
Force
-15 N
physical quantities that
have both magnitude
Acceleration
(how much) and 𝑚
2 𝑠2
direction (which way it is
heading).
Torque
-51 Nm

Displacement
+ 120 m
Examples:

𝑭𝟏 = 50 𝑁, 90° 𝑭𝟐 = 50 𝑁, 270°

magnitude direction magnitude direction

The vectors above have the same magnitudes but opposite

directions;
therefore, they are different vectors.
Examples:

𝑭𝟑 = 10 𝑁, 45° 𝑭𝟒 = 30 𝑁, 45°

Different magnitudes; different vectors.

Examples:

𝑭𝟓 = 110 𝑁, 64° 𝑭𝟔 = 110, 64°

Equal magnitude and direction; equal vectors.

 𝐴Ԧ = 30 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡

𝑨
direction

How to illustrate a magnitude

vector

𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑨 = 𝐴 = 𝑨
read as,
“the magnitude of force 𝑨”
Vector components

• represent 𝑨 as the sum of a vector

parallel to the x-axis (𝑨𝒙 ) and the
vector parallel to y-axis (𝑨𝒚 ).

𝑨 = 𝑨𝒙 + 𝑨𝒚 (Eq. 2.1)

𝑨𝒙 and 𝑨𝒚 are called vector components of 𝑨

Components of vectors
• Single number to describe the
component vectors
• If 𝑨𝒙 points to the positive x-
direction, 𝑨𝒙 = 𝑨𝒙 .
• When 𝑨𝒙 points to the negative x-
direction, 𝑨𝒙 = − 𝑨𝒙
• Same thing happens to 𝑨𝒚

Ax and Ay are called components of vectors.

Solving for components Trigonometric identities
• Measure the direction of vector
(θ) with respect to +x-axis.
• If the rotation from +x-axis 𝐴𝑥 𝐴𝑦
toward +y-axis, θ is positive; = cos 𝜃 = sin 𝜃
𝐴 𝐴
• if the rotation is from +x-axis
toward -y-axis, θ is negative.
𝐴𝑥 = 𝐴 cos 𝜃 𝐴𝑦 = 𝐴 sin 𝜃

(θ is measured from +x-axis rotating

towards +y-axis)

Equations 2.2
Bx = B cos  C x = C cos 
By = B sin  C y = C sin 
Examples: Find the components of the following vectors:
𝑨 = 124.0 𝑚, 56°
Since it is already a standard angle, we can use eq. 2.2

𝑨𝒙 = 𝑨 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 𝑨𝒚 = 𝑨 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽
= 𝟏𝟐𝟒. 𝟎 𝒎 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟓𝟔° = 𝟏𝟐𝟒. 𝟎 𝒎 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟓𝟔°
𝑨𝒙 = 𝟔𝟗. 𝟑𝟒 𝒎 𝑨𝒚 = 𝟏𝟎𝟐. 𝟖 𝒎

𝑨𝒙 = 𝟔𝟗. 𝟑𝟒 𝒎 ; 𝑨𝒚 = 𝟏𝟎𝟐. 𝟖 𝒎
Examples: Find the components of the following vectors:
𝑩 = 10.12 𝑚, 180°
Since it is already a standard angle, we can use eq. 2.2

𝑩𝒙 = 𝑩 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 𝑩𝒚 = 𝑩 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽
= 𝟗. 𝟎𝟑𝟏 𝒎 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐𝟕𝟎° = 𝟗. 𝟎𝟑𝟏 𝒎 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟕𝟎°
𝑩𝒙 = −𝟏𝟎. 𝟏𝟐 𝒎
𝑩𝒚 = 𝟎 𝒎

𝑩𝒙 = −𝟏𝟎. 𝟏𝟐 𝒎 ; 𝑩𝒚 = 𝟎 𝒎
Examples: Find the components of the vector:
• find the standard angle (𝜃)
• 𝜽 = 𝟗𝟎° − 𝜶 = 𝟗𝟎° − 𝟑𝟓° = 𝟓𝟓°.

𝑪𝒚 = 𝑪 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽 𝑪𝒙 = 𝑪 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽
= 𝟏𝟐. 𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟓𝟓° = 𝟏𝟐. 𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟓𝟓°
𝑪𝒚 = 𝟗. 𝟖𝟑𝟎 𝒎 𝑪𝒙 = 𝟔. 𝟖𝟖𝟑 𝒎

𝑪 = 𝟏𝟐. 𝟎𝟎 𝒎, 𝟑𝟓° 𝑪𝒙 = 𝟔. 𝟖𝟖𝟑 𝒎 ; 𝑪𝒚 = 𝟗. 𝟖𝟑𝟎 𝒎

Examples: Find the components of the following vectors:
• find the standard angle (θ)
• the angle is going towards the
negative y-axis. Thus, 𝛃 = −𝟒𝟕°.
𝛉 = 𝟑𝟔𝟎° − 𝟒𝟕° = 𝟑𝟏𝟑°

𝑫𝒙 = 𝑫 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 𝑫𝒚 = 𝑫 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽
= 𝟐𝟑. 𝟎𝟎 𝑵 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟑𝟏𝟑° = 𝟐𝟑. 𝟎𝟎 𝑵 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟑𝟏𝟑°
𝑫𝒙 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟔𝟗 𝑵 𝑫𝒚 = 𝟏𝟔. 𝟖𝟐 𝑵

𝑫 = 𝟐𝟑. 𝟎𝟎 𝑵, 𝟒𝟕° 𝑫𝒙 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟔𝟗 𝑵 ; 𝑫𝒚 = 𝟏𝟔. 𝟖𝟐 𝑵

 • magnitude
𝑨 = 𝟓𝟐. 𝟑𝟒 𝑵, 𝟏𝟎𝟑° and direction

Two ways of
describing a
vector
𝑨𝒙 = −𝟏𝟏. 𝟕𝟕 𝑵 • x- and y-
components
𝑨𝒚 = 𝟓𝟏. 𝟎𝟎 𝑵
 𝟐 𝟐
𝐴𝑦
𝑨= 𝑨𝒙 + 𝑨𝒚 tan 𝜃 =
𝐴𝑥
𝐴𝑦
𝜃 = 𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛
Calculating for 𝐴𝑥
magnitude and Eq. 2.3
Eq. 2.4
direction using
components always valid for any Any two angles which
choice of axis provided differ by 180° have the
that they are mutually same tangent. To
perpendicular decide which is correct,
we have to look at the
individual components.
Examples: Solve for the magnitude and direction of the vectors using its
components

Ax = 12.00 m ; Ay = −9.000 m

𝐴𝑦
𝜃 = 𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛
𝐴= 𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑦 2 𝐴𝑥

𝐴= (12.00 𝑚)2 +(−9.000 𝑚)2 −9.000 𝑚

𝜃= tan−1( )
𝐴 = 15.00 𝑚 12.00 𝑚

𝜃 = 323° (𝑜𝑟 − 37°)

𝑨 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟎𝟎 𝒎, 𝟑𝟐𝟑°
Examples: Solve for the magnitude and direction of the vectors using its
components

Dx = 6.930 N ; Dy = −2.411 N

2 2
𝐷𝑦
𝐷= 𝐷𝑥 + 𝐷𝑦 𝜃 = 𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛
𝐷𝑥

𝐷= (6.930 𝑁)2 +(−2.411 𝑁)2 −1

−2.411 𝑁
𝜃 = tan ( )
6.930 𝑁
𝐷 = 7.337 𝑁
𝜃 = −19° 𝑜𝑟 341°

𝑫 = 𝟕. 𝟑𝟑𝟕 𝑵, 𝟑𝟒𝟏°
What we discussed:
• Difference between vector and scalar quantities
(STEM_GP12V-Ia-8)

• How to rewrite a vector in component form;

• real-life application of vectors;

• How to calculate for the directions and magnitudes of

vectors